Chapter 112: The Compromise

Kieran’s POV

The notification on my phone had already set my future on fire before I even hit the bottom step of the grand staircase.

The tunnel video was out.

I rounded into the corner of the sitting room, my hands fisting in my pockets as my eyes locked onto the man sitting on our sofa. Richard Hampton was back. He sat dead centre on the cushions, hands resting flat on his knees, looking down at a printed screenshot of the viral clip on the glass coffee table.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded, my voice dropping into a harsh growl.

Richard didn't say a single word. He didn't even look up, weaponising his cold indifference the exact way he always did when he wanted to break my confidence.

Before I could walk over and rip him off that couch, the side door clicked open. My mother stepped into the sitting room. She stopped dead in her tracks, her face instantly turning into a mask of pure, unadulterated disgust the moment her eyes landed on her soon-to-be ex-husband.

Richard slowly stood up, smoothing down the front of his tailored suit jacket. He pointed a cold finger toward me.

"Well," Richard sneered, his voice smooth and toxic. "I hope you see what your son has been up to, Amelia. You threw me out of this house for being strict on him. You claimed I was pushing him too hard. Look at him now."

Amelia’s chest heaved. A sharp, furious gasp escaped her lips before she advanced into the room, her voice rising into an absolute shout.

"Abuse!" she yelled, her fingers shaking with rage as she pointed right at his face. "I threw you out for abusing my son, Richard! Do not dare spin this into discipline! Have you forgotten how you were fucking anything in a skirt while your son was bleeding on the ice? That is when you destroyed this family! You have zero right to stand in this room and lecture us!"

"I am not here to argue with you, Amelia," Richard interrupted smoothly, his voice dropping into that chilling, corporate tone.

"I am here to save my son. Whether you like it or not, the Hampton name is attached to his. Look at the facts. Not only did he fail to play in the national championship match, but with this rumour circulating, he might not be able to play next season at all.

The league board is meeting as we speak. They are preparing to block him from entering the NHL draft."

He turned his cold, calculating gaze back to me. "Your professional prospects are bleeding out by the second, Kieran. You are a liability to the scouts."

"My mother and I are better off without your help," I spat, stepping directly between him and Amelia. "Get out of my house. If I catch you near me or my mother again, I swear to God, Richard, I will show you exactly what kind of monster you raised."

Richard let out a short, mocking chuckle. He picked up his briefcase, giving us both one last lingering look of disappointment. "Enjoy the fallout. When the league strips your captaincy, don't come begging for my lawyers."

He walked out, the front door slamming shut behind him.

The silence that followed was worse than the shouting. I turned to look at my mother, expecting her to wrap her arms around me, expecting the usual comfort.

But she didn't move. Her eyes were red-rimmed, swimming with a mixture of intense heartbreak and deep, festering anger. She stared at me as if she were looking at a complete stranger.

"Is it true, Kieran?" Her voice cracked, sounding incredibly fragile.

"Mom.."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded, a fresh tear spilling down her cheek. She wasn't just sad; she was completely pissed off that I had locked her out of my life.

"I am your mother! I fought your father to give you a safe home, and you couldn't even trust me with your sexuality? I had to find out from a trashy school gossip network along with thousands of strangers?"

"It’s not what it looks like," I growled, my hands fisting at my sides. The agony of knowing the video was actually Aveline and me knowing I couldn't tell my mother the truth without destroying the girl I loved was eating me alive from the inside. "You have to trust me. The video is a setup."

"I am angry because you desperately want to prove to the world that you aren't like your father!" she shouted, her voice echoing violently off the high ceilings. "You spent your whole life trying to be better than him, trying to be pure, only to end up destroying your own dreams!, You threw away the NHL for a moment of recklessness!"

"I didn't throw anything away!"

"You are under house arrest," she stated flatly, her tone suddenly turning cold. "Effective immediately. The estate gates are locked. You aren't leaving this house until my legal team handles the league board. I won't let you ruin your life, Kieran. I won't."

She turned around and marched up the stairs, leaving me completely isolated in the shadows of the empty living room.

By night, the walls of the estate felt like they were physically closing in on me.

Every breath. My phone was gone, the security cameras were active, and guards were posted at the main driveway. I had reached my absolute breaking point.

I didn't care about the house arrest. I didn't care about the consequences.

I cracked my bedroom window open, the freezing night wind rushing over my face. I slid out onto the roof, dropping down onto the stone terrace below. I sprinted across the lawn, dodging the sweep of the security lights, and scaled the massive, locked iron gates.

The local ice arena was dead silent. The building was dark, illuminated only by the dim, eerie glow of the overhead emergency lights. The white ice looked like a sheet of grey glass.

And there she was.

Standing in the shadows by the team bench, was Aveline.

I didn't say a word. I sprinted across the rubber floor mats, threw the plexiglass door open, and pulled her tightly into my arms. I held her so hard my muscles ached, burying my face deep into her neck, breathing in her scent to wash away the poison of my father's words. I just needed to hold her close. I needed to make sure she hadn't broken down under the crushing weight of the rumours.

"Kieran... I was worried when you texted" she breathed against my chest, her small hands gripping my hoodie desperately. "You shouldn't be here. Your mom..."

"I don't give a fuck about my mom or the gates," I rough-whispered, tightening my grip. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you at the school? Tell me what happened."

Aveline pulled back just enough to look at me. Under the dim emergency lights, her eyes looked completely hollow, filled with a terrifying, resolve. She looked pale, her bottom lip trembling as she stared up at my face.

"The league board interviewed me today, Kieran," she whispered, her voice cracking. "They asked if you were a predator. They asked if you were forcing yourself on me for protection. They are going to suspend you before the showcase game. They are going to take away everything you’ve ever worked for."

"Let them," I said fiercely, my jaw going dead stiff. "I told you last night. My skills will speak for themselves. I can handle the PR firestorm, Ave. As long as your real identity is safe, I don't care."

"But I care!" Aveline suddenly cried out, her voice echoing sharply. Tears finally spilt over her lashes, hot against her cold skin. "I can't just sit by and watch you destroy your life for me! You said I should allow you to protect me."

She grabbed the front of my shirt, her fingers clenching it with an agonising strength.

"Now I'm begging you to allow me to protect us."

A heavy wave of dread settled deep in my gut. I looked down at her, my heart hammering a frantic, panicked rhythm. "What are you talking about, Ave? What did you do?"

Aveline swallowed hard, the words ripping from her throat. "You need to date Katty."

I froze. "What the hell did you just say?"

"She cornered me after the interview," Aveline wept, her chest heaving. "She knows the league is going to drop you because of the gay rumour. She made a bet with me. She thinks she can save your career by stepping back into the spotlight as your devoted girlfriend.

The media will forget all about that tunnel video the second you guys announce you're back together. The board will drop the investigation."

"Are you out of your mind?" Rage, pure and violent, exploded behind my eyes. I grabbed her by the shoulders, my grip tightening as I stared down at her in disbelief. "You want me to touch her? You want me to stand in front of the cameras and pretend to love a girl who destroyed me, while the girl I actually love is forced to watch from the sidelines? No. Absolutely not. I'd rather let the NHL burn to the ground."

"Kieran, please!" Aveline shrieked, pushing her hands against my chest, her voice breaking into raw, desperate sobs. "If they keep digging into that video, they are going to find out the truth! They are going to find out Asher Carter has a twin sister! They will realise I committed fraud, my mother will lose her sanity, and everything my brother died for will be erased! I can't let you drown for me! Please... just play the part. Protect our secret. Date Katty."

I stared down at her, my chest heaving, my soul completely torn in half. I looked into the eyes of the girl I loved more than life itself, realising she was asking me to break both of our hearts just to keep her alive.